The present invention relates generally to handles and more particularly to lightweight handles for lifting and transporting heavy-duty containers.
The use of handles for lifting and transporting various objects is well known. For certain applications, it is desirable to use a handle that is light in weight, yet provides a stable and durable mechanism for lifting heavy objects. This is particularly true in the case of roto-molded plastic containers which are designed for the transport and handling of instruments and electronic equipment in hazardous environments such as those typically found in military, geophysical and news service applications.
In the above application, the weight and size of loaded containers necessitate that two or more handles be distributed about the outside of the containers. Said handles are normally required to lie flat against the sides of the containers when not in use. When the container is being carried by the handles, however, the handles are required to stop with their bales perpendicular to the container wall so that the fingers of people lifting the container are not compressed between the handle bales and the walls of the container. Such a handle needs to be capable of lifting heavy-duty containers in the normal upward direction while experiencing heavy side loads and outward pulls. It is also desirable that the handle be capable of quick assembly during commercial production and/or disassembly to replace parts at the customer""s site.
A handle developed by the applicants of the present invention is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,533. Handles of this type, although providing the required strength with less weight than prior conventional handles, are not without their drawbacks. First, the metal bale requires precise bending in two directions and must be heat-treated. For strength and economy, high carbon steel is used which must be plated. Finally, as many as twelve parts must be assembled to make the final handle. Although the performance of such handles is good and achieved at low weight, the cost of manufacture is relatively high.
One object of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly which substantially eliminates any relative movement between the handle and the container during transportation.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a handle assembly that is easy to assemble and disassemble thereby increasing production efficiency.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a strong, light handle that will not corrode nor be weakened by chemical attack.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a handle which is more durable and reliable thereby increasing the effective life span of the handle.
The above objects are realized by the present invention which is a light weight handle assembly adapted so that a user can stably lift and transport a heavy-duty container. In one embodiment, the handle assembly generally comprises a stationary bracket that mounts to a container wall and a movable handle which is pivotally connected to the bracket. In operation, when the stationary bracket is attached to the container wall, the movable handle may be pivoted between an inoperative position and an operative position. When the stationary bracket is removed or unattached from the container wall, the movable handle may be pivoted to a disengaged position where it may be easily assembled to or unassembled from the stationary bracket. This latter feature provides a handle assembly that is compatible with high production environments and which can be manufactured from a small amount of components.
The stationary bracket is also formed with two stationary stop members. Similarly, the movable handle is formed with two movable stop members. The stationary and movable stop members have substantially planar contact surfaces that are adapted so that when the movable handle is pivoted to its operative position, the movable stop members are in substantial stable contact with the stationary stop members.